A Night With The Captain
by Entwining
Summary: Set during the episode Prophecy, it seems Kathryn is the only crewmember left without a roommate. Whomever will join her?


**A Night With The Captain**

**Rating:** **PG**.

**Disclaimer:** Paramount just owns the names. I can do whatever I want with 'em.

--

The doors to the Captain's quarters swished shut behind her. Kathryn Janeway reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt to ward off the headache that was brimming on the edges of her mind. The day had been nothing if not stressful -- getting the Klingons settled in and overseeing the crewmembers that were going to be bunking together. She hoped she wouldn't actually end up with someone to share quarters with -- she was the Captain after all, and that captainship had some privileges.

She suddenly had a strong urge to take a long, hot, bubble bath. She left her uniform jacket of the back of one of the chairs in her living area and headed towards her bedroom. On her way there, she began to shrug out of her uniform, leaving the clothing draped haphazardly throughout her quarters in a trail leading to her bedroom. She had just dropped her turtleneck on the floor and was about to remove her trousers when she entered her bedroom. She inhaled sharply, her hands frozen on the waistband of her trousers. It took her a moment to regain her ability to speak after seeing the figure that was kneeling in the center of her bed. She suddenly regretted carelessly discarding her clothes earlier.

"S-Seven?" she stammered, unable to tear her eyes away from the lithe woman who was perched on the bed.

"Yes, Captain," Seven said. She seemed to know exactly the effect she was having on the older woman and did nothing to rectify it.

"Why are you in my quarters?" _On my bed. . . _

"I had heard you did not yet have a. . . roommate and I thought you would not mind if I stayed here."

"Of course I don't mind," Kathryn said a bit too quickly. "There are Klingons staying in the Cargo Bay?"

"No."

"Then why. . . ?"

Seven never actually got a chance to answer for when she opened her mouth to respond, the chime to Kathryn's quarters sounded. Kathryn held up a hand as if to place a pause in the conversation. Instead of instructing her visitor to come in and possibly discover Seven in her quarters, she went to the doors and opened them herself.

"Commander," she noted, her voice stiff and formal. She noticed he had a bag slung over his shoulder. _He really isn't going to try and invite himself to stay the night. . . is he?_

"I heard you don't have a bunkmate yet. I though you might like some company?" Chakotay said, injecting a tone in his voice that suggested more than just a night with him sleeping on the sofa.

"Um, actually, someone is already staying with me," Kathryn interjected quickly, hoping he wouldn't ask who that someone was. Chakotay's shoulders drooped almost imperceptively.

"Oh. Then I guess I should go. . . " His voice trailed off as if waiting for her to ask him to stay.

"All right."

"Goodnight, Kathryn," he said as he sulked away, leaving Kathryn slightly annoyed at his casual use of her first name.

Kathryn knew she was going to have to face Seven now, and the former Borg drone most likely heard every detail of the conversation she had just had with the Commander. She found that she didn't really want Seven to leave in the first place.

"I'm going to go wash up," Kathryn said quietly after she had reentered her bedroom. Seven nodded in response as Kathryn edged towards the sonic shower. She had decided earlier that she would just take the sonic shower -- it only took a few minutes and she wasn't sure she wanted Seven finding her if she fell asleep in the bathtub.

The sound waves that reverberated around the room, removing the grime from her body, relaxed her to some extent, but there was no equivalent to a nice, warm, bubble bath.

The sonic shower shut off automatically when that the dirt and grime of the day was off her skin. She glanced around the room and realized she only had her dirty, sweaty clothes from earlier crumpled on the floor in there with her. A stab of panic ripped though her for all of half a second. She remembered she had left her nightgown draped on her bed. She took a moment to weigh her options. On one hand, she could make a naked dash though the room, but she doubted Seven would want to see that. On the other hand, she would have to walk out with her dirty uniform on, but she wrinkled her nose and discarded that thought quickly. She decided on the former, hoping Seven wouldn't stare.

Kathryn peeked out into her bedroom and to her relief, Seven wasn't in there anymore. In one swift motion, she dashed out of the sonic shower, grabbed her nightgown and threw it over her head. After composing herself to some extent, she strolled out into her living area again, feeling like a slob for leaving her clothes piled on the floor. She noticed Seven sitting in what passed as a relaxed position for her on the sofa staring out at the stars.

"Don't you need to regenerate?" Kathryn asked softly, walking over to sit next to the young woman.

"I brought a portable regenerator. It is similar to the one Icheb took with him when he returned to his home planet."

"Oh."

They sat in silence, watching the stars fly by for a few minutes. Kathryn stifled a yawn that Seven, of course, didn't fail to notice.

"You require rest," Seven said, turning to face the older woman.

"I'm fine, really," Kathryn replied, but when she yawned again just a few moments later, she knew it was was time for her to be getting to sleep. Kathryn stood and stretched, her bones cracking embarrassingly.

Kathryn settled down under the covers, resting her head on her pillow. Under any other circumstances, she would have fallen asleep immediately, but the fact that Seven was kneeling down on the floor, mere feet away from her, unnerved her. She forced her eyes closed and floated to sleep without conscious realization.

--

The portable regenerator beeped to indicate the cycle was complete. Seven opened her eyes and glanced at the chronometer -- it was 0420. She shifted her gaze so it rested on the sleeping Captain. Seven knew it was rude to stare and she didn't want to get caught doing so if the Captain woke up, but she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away. There was a stray stand of auburn hair lying on Kathryn's cheek. Seven felt a strong urge to tuck it behind Kathryn's ear, but stopped herself. Unsettled, she started to walk towards the living area to wait for Kathryn to awaken.

"Seven." She stopped automatically and turned around, afraid she had been caught. When she turned, she noticed Kathryn wasn't awake -- she was talking in her sleep. Kathryn murmured Seven's name again and the younger woman walked back over to Kathryn. Her face wasn't a serene as it was when Seven had looked when her regeneration cycle first ended. Against her better judgment, Seven clambered into the bed next to the sleeping woman and was utterly surprised when she snuggled up close to the former Borg, her head resting on Seven's breast. Seven felt no desire at all to get up from her current position and was glad to be able to hold the smaller woman in her arms like she wasn't allowed to before. She knew her actions would have consequences later, but refused to consider them now that she was selfishly indulging herself.

--

Kathryn woke to an unfamiliar warmth beside her. Her head was resting on something soft and round. Her legs were tangled together with what she assumed were the sheets. As the haze of sleep lifted, she realized someone had his or her arms wrapped around her. Her legs weren't tangled in the sheets; it was someone else's legs. The previous night came back to her in a flash and she had a sneaking suspicion at whom was lying beside her. After a moment of just laying still, breathing in the sent of her astrometrics officer, she tilted her head upwards and opened her eyes to be met with the icy blue ones that belonged to Seven of Nine.

"Good morning, Captain," Seven said softly as she sat up, careful not to let Kathryn fall onto the sheets. Earlier that night, Seven had taken out the austere bun she normally wore in her hair. It now fell gracefully down past her shoulders, framing her perfectly beautiful face. Kathryn was awestruck enough by the vision of beauty before her that she almost forgot what she was going to ask.

"Seven, why are you in my bed?" Kathryn realized her question sounded rather inane, but she had recently lost the ability to think straight, courtesy of the woman sitting mere inches away from her. Seven looked away, as if she was embarrassed to answer the question.

"You murmured my name while you were asleep and I surmised you desired company," Seven explained while keeping her voice low, finding that she actually feared what the consequences of her actions might be. She didn't fail to notice that Kathryn had flushed in embarrassment when Seven had answered, though.

"Oh," Kathryn murmured after a moment of attempting to get a handle on her emotions. She reached up and began to try to fix her hair; it was probably disarrayed and tangled. She gave up after a moment and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She glanced at the chronometer and knew she was going to have to head to the bridge soon. Gracefully, Kathryn slid out of her bed and walked towards the replicator, acutely aware of the soft footfalls behind her.

"Would you like something?" Kathryn asked, fully prepared for the typical Borg-like response. She didn't want to seem rude, though.

"I. . . water is fine," Seven answered. If Kathryn had been surprised by her answer, she didn't show it.

"Coffee, black," Kathryn ordered.

"And a water," she added, a smile playing over her lips. She picked up a glass in each hand and handed the water to Seven.

"Thank you," Seven said.

Kathryn shuffled over into her living area, motioning for Seven to sit beside her.

"You never told me why you were in my quarters last night," Kathryn said after Seven had seated herself down. Seven kept her eyes trained on her water. She had hoped the Captain would have forgotten that. Apparently, she had not.

"Seven?" Kathryn prompted when the silence stretched on. Seven let out a small sigh before she spoke. She placed her glass on the coffee table and noticed Kathryn had already done the same. She inhaled and turned towards the older woman.

"I suppose I just wanted. . . to be with you," Seven said, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper. She looked up uncertainly at Kathryn and didn't see anything negative in the soft, blue-gray eyes that belonged to her commanding officer. She reached up and slowly traced Kathryn's cheekbone with her fingers. Kathryn grabbed Seven's hand and the young woman feared she would make her stop. To Seven's surprise, Kathryn too the younger woman's hand and pressed it to her lips.

"I suppose I did too, be with you, I mean, not myself; I'm with myself all the time," Kathryn breathed after she had put her hands back in her lap, smiling at the awkwardness of it.

"You know, Seven, the Klingon's may be staying on board for awhile longer, and I really don't want to have to share my quarters with Chakotay. Would you mind terribly if I asked you to stay?"

"No, I don't mind, but after the Klingon's leave. . . ?" Seven let the end of the question remain unsaid, hanging in the air.

"Would you still like to stay even after they leave?"

"Very much so."

"Then my quarters are your quarters."

Seven smiled softly, gazing into Kathryn's eyes, losing herself in their depths. She would have to thank the Klingons later, but it could wait. She was very content where she was. She would always be content if the woman she loved was with her. She could admit it to herself now -- she loved Kathryn Janeway, and by the smile she was greeted with, it wasn't too hard to see that Kathryn loved her back.

Fin.


End file.
